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Olga Kurylenko: Mom urged me to model

Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko’s mom warned her not to “turn her back” on a chance of career success when she was a teenager.The star shot to worldwide fame playing cool killer Camille in Quantum of Solace and can currently be seen in dark comedy Seven Psychopaths. The Ukraine-born actress was raised by her single mother and had little money when she was growing up. After being spotted by a modelling agency when she was a teenager, Olga’s mom urged her to grab the opportunity.“My mom Marina and I were poor and hungry. We could sometimes not afford to eat — seriously.“We lived together in a small town, called Berdyansk, in Ukraine. I was an only child. I don’t think we would have survived if there had been more kids,” she told British newspaper The Sun. “My mom had saved money so we could go and visit Moscow. And on that one visit, when I was 14, my life changed forever. I was stopped by a model scout who wanted me to work for an agency. My mom and I were both asking, ‘Is this a fairytale'’“She realised this was not a hoax, but the real thing. She told me: “This is the kind of luck that comes your way only once. Do not turn your back on this.”Olga moved to Paris, France, to pursue a modelling career when she was 16.She was then offered a movie role in 2004, and although her agency advised her to not to take it, Olga realised she would never be “Kate Moss”.The 33-year-old knew she wanted to be an actress and was overjoyed when she landed a role alongside Daniel Craig in the 2008 film Quantum of Solace.“When I was hired for Bond, I could not believe it. I returned to my home town while promoting the film. It was my proudest moment to go back and see my mom,” Olga explained. “She taught me all about luck. A lot of people have luck but they allow the moment to escape.“You have to grab it and know when it comes."